1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to weights or sinkers for fishing lines or nets, and more particularly to glass weights or sinkers for fishing lines or nets.
2. Description of the Related Art
Numerous fishing weights and sinkers have been proposed and implemented for both sport and commercial fishing activities. Various configurations, materials, and attachment means have been proposed and utilized for such purposes. In general, weights added to a fishing line allow the fishermen to throw his bait or lure farther or more accurately. Lead has been the preferred material from which fishing weights have been fabricated due to its high density. Unfortunately, lead is a toxic substance and causes damage to aquatic life and to the fish and mammals that eat aquatic life. Over time lost lead weights and sinkers have accumulated to a point where their impact on streams, lakes and oceans are no longer insignificant. Such pollution is real and is increasing. The manufacturing of lead weights and sinkers involves smelting the lead, this process releases toxic gasses and particulates into the atmosphere.
In the prior art there have been disclosed numerous alternatives to the standard lead weights. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,030 to Ziiglinski (1988) describes a fishing weight made from a tube of thermoplastic material that is closed at one end and into which lead shot is introduced. While the normal use of this tube would act as a barrier between the lead and water, however, when caught or tangled in branches or other debris this weight is designed to break apart thereby exposing the lead shot to the water. A similar modification of lead weights is seen is U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,326 to Benjestorf (1989) where a casting bubble incorporates a seam which is filled with lead shot. This design is significantly limited because the seam can easily separate thereby releasing both the plastic bubble and the lead shot into the environment.
Another genre of fishing weights and lures includes the use of plastics or glass as a partial or complete substitute for lead. Representative examples include: U.S. Pat. No. 2,770,910 issued to Gehrig (1956): U.S. Pat. No. 2,006,604 issued to Post (1935); U.S. Pat. No. 2,215,764 issued to Okesson et al. (1940); German Patent DE728581 issued to Wait (1989): and French Patent FR002286 issued to Dhuy et al. (1982). However, all such prior weights suffer significant limitations. For example, none of the prior art known to applicant provides a environmentally low impact and non-polluting fishing weight or sinker which is easy to attach mid detach from a fishing line or net, which includes means to prevent rolling of the weight on a surface, or which provides for the identification of such weight according to physical characteristics of the weight.
Accordingly, it is the primary object of this invention to provide an improved glass fishing weight or sinker which is composed of glass and which is environmentally safe, which is easy to attach and detach from a fishing line or net, which may be provided in a form which is non-rollable, and which incorporates identification means therein.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.